When our leaders don't fail us!

Image from https://timothykeller.com/author So much has been written since Tim Keller's sad passing a fortnight ago. There's been tributes to his ministry, reflections on his legacy and thanksgivings for his life well-lived in the Lord's service.

Something it's caused me to reflect on is how good it is when our leaders don't fail us.

In our age, it's something of a rarity! Sometimes barely a week goes by without news of yet another high-profile Christian leader embroiled in sin or scandal.

I didn't know Tim Keller or see him up close. But from the outside at least, his life and ministry proved to be an exception. Though I'm certain he was not perfect, he was a Christian leader who's life was clearly marked by integrity and faithfulness to his Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

As I've pondered his example this week, it's challenged me in a few ways.

What kind of leader do I want to be?

One is it's caused me to ask: what kind of leader do I want to be? When my ministry obituary is written, what would I hope people would say about me? The temptation is to focus on things I've done.

Be it ministry achievements, gifts or expertise in a certain field, maybe even the wisdom of this blog!

Obviously these things have a place.

God, in his grace, gifts us all that Christ might be made known and the church built up.

Yet, Tim Keller's example, points in a different direction.

He was certainly gifted and his ministry accomplishments not insignificant. But, what made him stand-out (perhaps in contrast to some of his contemporaries), is not so much the things he did but who he was while doing them. His character matched his calling. He was not simply gifted but also godly.

Ought this not be my ambition too?

In fact, ought it not be the ambition of every Christian leader?

The scriptures certainly suggest so.

Peter, offers the following advice for those who want to be effective and productive followers of Christ:

...make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. - 2 Peter 1:5-8

These are useful verses, for they highlight that the servant of Christ's first ambition must be to cultivate godliness in their lives.

Which got me thinking.

If I was to do an inventory of what occupies my energy and attention, how much of it goes to the kinds of things Peter talks about? Am I as intentional in growing in 'self-control' as I am in growing our campus group's reach? Do I invest time in developing 'goodness' or 'mutual affection' the way I do my preaching or teaching ministry?

I should!

As Peter makes clear - and Tim Keller's life testifies to - its cultivating these things that keep us from being ineffective and unproductive in our knowledge of Jesus.

What do I expect of others leaders?

The other challenge I've pondered this week is my expectation of other Christian leaders. Put simply, do my expectations of them, reflect God's priorities of godliness and character?

It's easy to pay lip-service to character isn't it?

To claim that "character king" but in practice evaluate others almost entirely by their gifts and achievements.

So often, I catch myself doing this.

Be it positively, when I'm "wowed" by someones way with words or clarity of vision. Or negatively, when I'm "put-off" by their unimpressive congregation or a poorly-landed application. Either way, my metric is what they do.

Now, as I said earlier, gifts and achievements have a place. But when they become the primary measure of faithfulness we do one another a great disservice. We reinforce the lie that those things matter most and so distract from the greater priority of being conformed into the likeness of Jesus.

Again, Tim Keller's life and ministry is a corrective for us.

He was not without gifts; nor did he pursue 'big-things' for the cause of Christ. But at the end of the day what gave his ministry credibility was not those things, but the godly life he lived alongside. So as we continue to remember him, be encouraged not simply by his achievements but his example of godliness. And as we evaluate ourselves and others, let's remember how good it is when our leaders don't fail us, but run the race faithfully in service to our gracious Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.